Conventionally, a connecting element for an end portion of a wire (wire end) may comprise two lugs or tongues in facing relationship to each other, with the wire end being positioned between them with a view to the wire end being gripped between the two tongues when the latter are deformed towards each other. Such a connecting element may also be formed with one or more holes in which the wire end is engaged and in which it is soldered.
Such connecting elements in the prior art do however suffer from a certain number of drawbacks. In this regard, in the case of a wire gripping terminal, it is found difficult to ensure that the wire is reliably held between the two tongues for the purposes of soldering. In the case of elements for connecting to one or more holes through which the wire is inserted, positioning of the wire end is a somewhat tiresome operation, especially where access to the connecting element is difficult.
More generally, it is found to be extremely difficult, when using known types of connecting elements, to position a wire end reliably using robotic equipment.